Last year, I wrote about the disappearing rural lawyer. In Illinois, more lawyers are hanging their law firm shingle in urban areas. This isn’t just an Illinois trend, it’s happening across the U.S. For instance, in Illinois, roughly 7,000 lawyers across 95 counties outside of Chicagoland serve 35% of the state’s population, or approximately 4.5 […]
Not much has changed for women of color attorneys at law firms over the past 14 years, according to a study released last month by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Commission on Women in the Profession. Despite the legal profession’s increased diversity efforts, the percentage of women of color partners remains stuck below 4%. Moreover, […]
Last week I provided a roundup of actions by task forces across the U.S. that are exploring reforms to the regulation of legal services. This week I look at the issue of modernizing attorney regulations through the prism of historic events that are reshaping our lives in 2020. COVID-19 and the ongoing social unrest following […]
Earlier this month, the Illinois Supreme Court announced the approval of Rule 139 regarding the practice and procedure in eviction proceedings. The new rule, which went into effect immediately, requires eviction complaints to include a copy of the written eviction notice or demand and, where applicable, the relevant portions of the lease. The new rule […]
Judicial education credit is available to Illinois judges attending the annual The Future Is Now: Legal Services conference.
Advancing the rule of law is foundational to our democratic republic. But where do we start and how do we measure success?
How can we return to the office professionally, while also acknowledging the shift in the psychological and behavioral health profile of the workforce? Legal employees and employers should consider the following strategies.
Our Lawyer Spotlight features a Q&A with attorney Sarah Megan, Director of Litigation for Prairie State Legal Services, Inc.
“What gets measured gets managed.” However, many in-house legal departments fail to establish diversity metrics to track the success of the ambitious goals they put in place last year.
Today’s legal profession demands a practice-ready generation of new legal talent. To meet this demand, legal education has found itself pivoting to provide innovative curricula and expand learning options for students.
We spoke with Andrea Belard, president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI), about creating a sense of belonging in the legal profession, how law firms can better recruit and retain Latino lawyers, and how allies can help amplify the voices of Latino attorneys in Illinois.
Today’s legal clients expect to interact with their attorneys through tech-enabled forms of communication, like video conferencing and client portals.
